The instant the Fourth Raikage, A, appeared on the battlefield, Yōsuke understood that the fight was already over. Taking advantage of the billowing clouds of dust, he withdrew from the battlefield together with Pakura.
When the two of them arrived at the border of the Land of Lightning, they saw that the remaining Cloud Village ninja forces stationed near the Land of Fire were also retreating, heading back toward Kumogakure. It seemed that Akatsuki's surprise attack on the Cloud Village—and the capture of the Two-Tails' jinchūriki, Yugito Nii—had truly enraged the Raikage.
After reaching the border of the Land of Fire, Yōsuke successfully regrouped with Gyūtarō and the others. This time, Suigetsu and Karin did not come along and remained in Yōen Village. Itachi believed they were still too young and not yet suited for such dangerous missions. Like Sasuke, they should continue training, strengthen their abilities, and only then act together with the rest of them.
Yōsuke explained to the group, "This is Pakura, a Scorch Release kekkei genkai user. She's a new member joining our organization."
Deidara looked at Pakura excitedly and asked, "So, just how high is your level of artistic achievement?"
Yōsuke said to Pakura, "You can ignore him. This kid's got something wrong with his head."
Turning to Itachi, Yōsuke asked, "Itachi, Gyūtarō should have already told you what happened, right?"
Itachi nodded, a smile in his eyes. "I know everything. I never imagined that you would go to such lengths for the sake of peace in the shinobi world, Master."
Yōsuke sighed. "Don't say that like you're surprised. Even I didn't expect it myself."
Quickly pulling himself together, Yōsuke began to announce the objectives of their current mission.
"Kumogakure has already withdrawn from the border of the Land of Fire. Our next target is to make Kirigakure withdraw from this war as well. The Mist Village was forced into this conflict to begin with, so once they learn that the Cloud Village has already retreated, they shouldn't choose to fight Konoha to the bitter end. If we can resolve the Mist Village issue, then this war will become much easier to end."
Gyūtarō raised his hand and asked, "But how exactly are we supposed to make Kirigakure withdraw? War isn't something you can just join and leave whenever you want. Besides, the Mist Village has already officially declared war on Konoha."
After thinking for a moment, Yōsuke replied, "We'll directly negotiate with the Mizukage."
Itachi interrupted, "From what I know, Kirigakure isn't ruled solely by the Mizukage. Power is evenly distributed among the village elders. It won't be enough for just the Mizukage to agree—the elders will need to agree as well."
Yōsuke hadn't really paid attention to how power was structured within the various shinobi villages. If authority was truly that decentralized, then this would indeed be troublesome.
Pakura, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke. "I have a way."
Everyone turned to look at her.
Pakura slowly explained, "The trigger that caused Kirigakure to join the war was me. So long as it's announced that I'm still alive, and the truth about Sunagakure's scheme is revealed, Kirigakure will have a legitimate reason to withdraw from this war."
Yōsuke frowned. "Pakura, there's no need for you to wrong yourself like this. If it really comes down to it, we can do what Akatsuki does—declare war on Kirigakure and force them to abandon the conflict."
Pakura shook her head. "I'm not wronging myself. I hate Sunagakure for betraying me. I'd be more than happy to cause them some trouble."
After thinking it over, Yōsuke felt that Pakura's method was currently the most reliable option. He agreed to the plan, deciding they would act according to the situation when the time came.
After a long journey, the five of them once again arrived at Kirigakure in the Land of Water.
Most of Kirigakure's ninja had already been dispatched to the border of the Land of Fire, ready to initiate combat at any moment. There were very few ninja remaining to guard the village, allowing Yōsuke's group to enter Kirigakure without much difficulty.
Upon reaching the plaza below the Mizukage Tower, Yōsuke said to Itachi beside him, "Itachi, this is your cue."
Itachi nodded, his eyes shifting into the form of the three-tomoe Sharingan.
After entering the Mizukage Tower, Itachi continuously used Sharingan genjutsu to hypnotize the passing ninja, allowing the group to proceed unimpeded.
Deidara said jealously, "That ability really is convenient. Damn it!"
Having spent a long time with Deidara, Itachi had already figured out his temperament and praised him instead. "Aren't you already training your eyes, Deidara? My genjutsu is already very difficult to use on you."
Hearing the compliment, Deidara's jealousy instantly vanished. He said proudly, "Of course! I'm a genius!"
The five of them swaggered up to the door of the Mizukage's office. Yōsuke pushed the door open, revealing a strikingly beautiful and mature woman seated behind a desk, handling paperwork.
Seeing Yōsuke and the others wearing masks, Mei Terumī froze for a moment before immediately becoming alert.
"Who are you?!" she demanded. "Why wasn't I informed?!"
Yōsuke got straight to the point. "We're here because we want the Mizukage to put an end to the war against Konoha."
Mei guessed, "Are you ninja from Konoha?"
Yōsuke shook his head. "No. We don't belong to any shinobi village."
Mei frowned. "If you're not from Konoha, then why do you want Kirigakure to end the war against them?"
Instead of answering directly, Yōsuke changed the subject. "You probably haven't received the news yet. Kumogakure has already withdrawn."
"What?!" Mei's expression was one of shock. "No—that's impossible!"
"There's no reason for us to lie," Yōsuke explained. "Kumogakure was attacked, and the Two-Tails' jinchūriki was taken by a mysterious organization. The Raikage is now furious and has abandoned the war against Konoha, shifting his focus to that organization instead."
"Your words aren't credible," Mei said coldly.
In terms of military strength, Kumogakure was the strongest of the villages. How could it possibly be attacked by a single organization? And the capture of a jinchūriki—it sounded completely fabricated.
"If we had hostile intentions toward Kirigakure, we wouldn't have used genjutsu to put everyone in this building to sleep," Yōsuke said calmly. "We would've simply killed them. We came here with sincerity. After all, Kirigakure was merely being used as a pawn by the other great nations—you didn't truly want to take part in this war, did you?"
Mei did not respond immediately. Instead, she said, "I need to verify the accuracy of this information."
"Of course," Yōsuke replied.
He nodded toward Itachi, who understood and released the genjutsu affecting the people in the building.
"Chōjūrō!" Mei called out toward the hallway.
A shy-looking boy wearing glasses entered the office.
Chōjūrō glanced at the masked Yōsuke and his group with mild surprise, but did not ask any questions. He respectfully addressed Mei. "Mizukage-sama, what is your command?"
"Chōjūrō," Mei said, "immediately dispatch ninja to confirm Kumogakure's latest situation and report back to me at once."
"Yes!" Chōjūrō accepted the order and vanished from the office using the Body Flicker Technique.
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